Gateway Village Market Needs Help

August 7, 2008 at 3:41 pm · Filed under MoBlog

Written at the Gateway Market in downtown Charlotte while hanging out with the Secret Chocolatier.

At Gateway Promenade there has been an ongoing Thursday market for the past few years. This year the markets coordination duties were pushed onto the communities concierge due to the original coordinators departure. The difference from the vendors perspective is pretty stout. Sales are very low.

Communities of all shapes need passionate coordinated parties to produce great things. Matthews and Tailgate markets are both led by awsome ladies who try very hard. Gateway has a great placement but a lack of promotion, signage, Gateway business buy-in and consistent placement. It’s going to whither before it’s rooted well.

If you live or work in this area and are passionate about local foods, crafts, and the people talk to the Gateway managers and see if we can’t make next season shine!

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From Sun up to Sun Down, in the Rock Hill Area

March 1, 2008 at 9:05 pm · Filed under MoBlog, On the Radar

It’s been a full day for Robin and myself. A bunch of photography friends were heading to Asheville for some lessons, others were following along to take pictures on the town. I wanted to do something more normal. What’s more normal and low-key than visiting friends and skydiving? hah!

We woke early and bolted across the South Carolina border ready to see some good friends we don’t see enough of currently at Cupps Cafe. You can’t beat their cinnamon rolls and scones for a perfect way to start the day.

Hanging out till lunch time we grabbed a couple of “Mother Cluckers” and bolted to the dropzone down the street at Skydive Carolina to get some well needed therapy.

I’ve been grounded because of travel time, reserve repacks, and good ol’Winter Mother Nature. The skies just haven’t been friendly (and during February their not supposed to be) until today. With the temps in the 60s and a wind holding at about 15mph I got aloft and cruised around the skies in torpedo like fashion.

Gene repacked my reserve a few weeks ago and I had him flake my main. He used it to show students what a long term pack job does as mine came out in a pretty good square. It would have deployed, just sniveled a lot. No worries!

Today’s ride was great. Soft opening into a light right turn. I hung around the tandems then found a holding pattern until 1k where upon I entered the landing pattern.

Having a steady wind brought me nearly straight down and a perfect soft landing awaited me. What a purification process for the mind. Like a friend said, ‘You look blissed’, and I felt it.

We ended the day by coming back into Cupps for a dinner round where we drank a fantastic crisp sweet Riesling, ‘Clean Slate’, while working on the text for an upcoming Charlotte Art. Migrating over time into nachos and some delicious white-bean pork soup. Man this place rocks.

Time to head home.

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Old Highways and Gray Skies

February 24, 2008 at 4:04 pm · Filed under MoBlog, On the Radar

We’re driving back from the Myrtle Beach destination Strobist shooting. We’ve had a full weekend and now find us taking a scenic set of highways on the way back to Charlotte. The modern use of technology has been a valuable asset using the iphone, location checking, google maps, to plot us a new course after missing one of our exits.

My mind always has great musings when we find ourselves on forgotten byways and towns. The interior deterioration of lonely America. Rural, frozen in time, reflecting the gray of the sky with their own sadness of times gone by.

I find this urge to know their stories. To stand in the middle of a rural town and flip the backwards switch and see everything slip and slide through it’s being. Seeing how it unfolded; the great growth spurt that made everything blossom and then like Summer to Fall see it’s moment disappear.

I also drift this way when we pass deep rural cemeteries. My imagination sees dozens of families, lineage, history that took a person from point A to point B. The came they laughed they cried, a family, a greatness, or a life simply poetic. Then left. I’ve read about the idea of the ‘dash’ on a persons tombstone but I was struck looking at all the assorted markers and thinking more how I was passing the periods of the sentence. The last great line of a novel. I hope it was a good story.

It is not my intention to sound morose or even real somber these thoughts are celebrations of history of time, of our existence, our humanity, and I’m happy to be in the moment.

I only wish that the bad times didn’t have to be so bad. So many of these places have visible deep poverty, and their Main Streets are lined with the empty, the religious, the pawn, and the paycheck for cash establishments. That’s not a healthy economy. What went bad here and what good thoughts can help breathe life into it? Or like all things the areas time has really had it’s run..what does that mean though?

All the reflection and thought does bring about the desire to see a revitalization of our infrastructure. Tour the back roads of your own areas to wonder, reflect, and ponder our own past and our future.

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Dr. Gomez

April 14, 2005 at 4:59 pm · Filed under MoBlog

I’ve been to a chiropractor for almost 10 years. The location has been the same but the Dr has changed over time. The last few years I’ve seen Dr. Gomez who has been a pleasure to know. I am always learning so much about myself.

edit: Since posting this people have searched for Dr. Gomez and find me but no contact info, well here ya go: Dr. Gomez, Advanced Wellness Center, (704)841-3833

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Oi Maggianos

April 2, 2005 at 8:01 pm · Filed under MoBlog

We waited over an hour and a half to sit down for dinner. We had called ahead but they said no one was there. Hah. 15 minutes later they were slammed. At least as usual once in and settled we were in for a great tasting meal. Now we have to rush home so we can hook Jeff up with some dessert.

-a

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